Saline Area Schools Board of Education Appoints New Trustee

The Saline Board of Education held a special meeting on July 14 to fill the vacancy left by Trustee Brad Gerbe, who resigned to accept a teaching position with Saline Area Schools starting this fall. The Board’s chosen candidate will serve as Trustee through December 31, 2026.

Seven community members applied for the single position on Monday: Luke Schmerberg, Kelly Van Singel, Nathan Hansen, Marco Celsius Magbitang, Christy Lilly, Ryan Davidson, and Julie Kelley.

The board interviewed five of the seven applicants. Candidate Christy Lilley withdrew her application prior to the meeting. Julie Kelley was unavailable, however the board considered her application and resume in their deliberations.

Each candidate had 15 minutes total to answer one question from each current board member. The questions included the candidate’s community connections, motivation and qualifications, policy experience and handling of controversial issues.

The Board also asked each applicant what they believed was the relationship between the Board and Superintendent, as well as what they hoped future alumni would remember about their time in Saline Area Schools.

The Board deliberated for over an hour, and ultimately moved to extend an offer to Nathan Hansen for the position of Trustee.

Deliberations were at times contentious, with the board being split 3-3 for the first 2 rounds of voting between Mr. Hansen and Kelly Van Singel. Trustees Tizedes, Steben, and Austin chose Hansen; McVey, Berwick and Gold selected Kelly Van Singel. President McVey opted to change his vote and break the tie.

Mr. Hansen moved to Saline 18 months ago. He has a background in finance at Merrill Lynch and is currently a commercial airline pilot.

Saline Area Schools employs a seven-member Board, each serving four-year terms, elected at large. The district supports approximately 4,700 students across eight schools.

Recent district developments include the appointment of Dr. Rachel Kowalski as Superintendent, effective July 1, 2025.

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